Ex-Cowboy Darren Woodson: Distractions in NFL 'so overrated'; I never heard 98 percent of what Jerry Jones said

Former Cowboys safety Darren Woodson joined Ben and Skin. on KESN-FM 103.3 this week. Here are some highlights:

On if Jerry Jones’ high profile scene was a distraction when
he was a player:

No, not at all. I remember one time Bill Cosby came into the
locker room before a game and I didn’t feel like it was a distraction. He was
walking up to us and shaking everyone’s hand. He was a guest of Jerry’s. It was
during the pregame, two hours before the game. The guy walked in and walked
out, and it was no big deal. I’ve seen Arabian princes walk in and out, and to
me it was no big deal. The Cowboys aren’t the only organization that goes
through that. I remember going to the Chicago Bears locker room and they had a
well-off guy there, and everybody was shaking his hand. It was no big deal.

On if having Jerry talking to the media makes it harder for Jason
Garrett to get his messages across to the team:

I don’t think the players really care. I mean, Jerry may
have made comments outside of the locker room or during the week, but 98% of
the things that were said, I never even heard. And when we did hear it, it was
no big deal. It doesn’t affect guys when you’re preparing for a football game.
I’ve always thought the distractions were so overrated. Let’s say you have a
guy who gets arrested for something. You feel bad for that situation, you feel
bad for that player, but at the same time, it’s not going to affect me in my
preparation. I’m going to prepare the exact same way. It’s going to affect that
player who’s going through the turmoil, but the other 53 players on that
roster, it doesn’t affect what you do on a day-to-day basis. I’m going to
prepare the same way, I’m going to get myself ready for the game, and I’m going
to move on. It’s almost the exact same as being in corporate America and
being in an office. If someone goes through some issues in their personal life,
you feel bad for them, but it doesn’t affect your work. You still have got to move
on and do the right thing.

To post a comment, log into your chosen social network and then add your comment below. Your comments are subject to our Terms of Service and the privacy policy and terms of service of your social network. If you do not want to comment with a social network, please consider writing a letter to the editor.